All the world knows the legend of Pompeii. In 79 AD Mount Vesuvius erupted, spewing huge waves of volcanic ash over the Bay of Naples.

One of Rome's greatest writers and scientists, Pliny the Elder, was stationed across the water from Pompeii at Misenum. Not just a great scholar - he was the military commander of Misenum's strategic naval base. He ordered a fleet of naval triremes to rescue as many people as possible from the doomed city.

So began one of the first recorded rescues by sea of civilians by a military force. Discover the untold story of Pompeii.

POMPEII COMES TO YOU

More than a hundred individual objects from Pompeii and Herculaneum, the cities obliterated by the volcano – and from shipwrecks in the area, have been shipped to the Australian National Maritime Museum with painstaking care. You'll be able to see some of the most famous objects from antiquity, first hand.

This world-class exhibition reveals how the Roman navy came to dominate the Mediterranean, and how this control created a boom in maritime trade not seen again for a thousand years.

TECHNOLOGY BRINGS THE LEGEND TO LIFE

Objects displayed in Escape from Pompeiiinclude jewellery, ceramics, sculptures and frescoes from Pompeii and Herculaneum; even a bronze rostrum (ram) from a shipwrecked trireme. The haunting bodycasts of Pompeiians, trapped forever in their final moments, have pride of place.

This extraordinary collection of objects has been enhanced by the latest technology, using interactive multimedia and 3D animation to bring the length and breadth of the Roman world to life. You'll also be able to relive that fateful day in 79AD - and feel the full force and fury of Vesuvius.